My baby is 2.

I am dying to show you pictures of her party from this morning. But first, let's have a little mom moment to think about what this day is really about. As much as I absolutely loved planning and putting together her party (I used 2 of my 3 personal days this year to do so), it is really about celebrating another year we got to spend with Larkyn. Two years ago today, this is what was happening...

photo by Kate on 4.21.11

And now, our little monkey is running, jumping, telling us what she wants, and saying "Yuh-you" before she goes to bed. Being the active kid that she is, I knew the best gift we could give her was to take her to her favorite place with all her favorite people!

I reserved Lattes & Lollipops a few months ago. I decided on a morning (10:30) party because of our noonish nap time and the fact that we are a breakfast-lovin' family. I originally wanted to do a pancakes party because pancakes are her fave, but pancakes are not as easy to transport as donuts. So, the Donuts & PJs party was born.

I ordered a printable party pack from Three Little Monkeys, which made it so easy for me to coordinate all the paper goods!

And now for my favorite part...the food! Of course, we would be doing
donuts, and if you live in Columbus, you know the ONLY place for donuts
is Der Dutchman. It is a bit of a drive, but so worth its Amish
goodness! I made store-brand double chocolate mini muffins, which
turned out great. A good option for little hands.

It was a
no-brainer to use donuts instead of a cake. And because they had
sprinkles (Larkyn's favorite food), she was 100 times more excited about
it. Those were Kroger donuts, special ordered by Nana to have pink icing and sprinkles, of course. Kate helped string together the little cake bunting that was part of my digital download.

The milk jugs and yogurt parfaits were my favorite part. My only "splurge" on party supplies were these milk jugs, which I ordered from Jennifer on Etsy. These were perfect because they were plastic, so the kiddos had no problem with them. She even drilled holes in them for me and I was able to pick matching straws from her store as well. I'll be honest, I really hoped there would be leftovers, and my dream came true when there was ONE chocolate milk left. My weakness.

I got 9 oz. cups with lids from GFS (food supply store) and filled them with low fat vanilla yogurt, strawberries, blackberries (both were on a fantastic sale this week), and topped with granola. This is a cost-effective side dish that everyone loves. And I made them the night before!

I also had 2 casseroles: cheesy potatoes made by grandma and I made a sausage, egg and cheese casserole that is one of the best recipes EVER. Maybe I'll share that later this week:) I am so glad I brought those because they were the first items to run out and it kept everyone from having a sugar meltdown.

We had a "hole" bunch of favors. Forgive me, I have had donut puns on the brain for months....

These glassine bags are in the wedding aisle at Michael's. I filled them with 3 Kroger donut holes each, and I was surprised how popular they were! Again, I think people love smaller bites of things.

Oh, my mom. Isn't she amazing? I just wasn't finding what I wanted to give the kids for favors. So, she texted me a photo one night of a felt donut she just whipped up. No big deal. She attached them to these totes from Michaels.

Inside, the kids would find a Horizons organic milk box, a Whole Foods cereal bar, and the cutest, teeniest bubbles that were 3/1.00 at Walgreens.

For the adults, we used the Hershey kiss stickers included in my digital download. I wanted something with a hole in it (I know, I need to be cut off), so we stuck the stickers on white Lifesaver mints.

For the decorations, we didn't need much because Lisa at Lattes & Lollipops set me up with adorable pink and brown balloons and pink tablecloths. We hung a banner on the play room window, I put all of Larkyn's monthly pictures in unfinished frames from Hobby Lobby with some ribbon I can change out later, and we set out some 8x10s from her 2 year old session. It is hard to see, but there is a little sign asking guests to sign the book If you give a dog a donut. I think I'll make that a yearly tradition.

And what did the kids do while we ate and caught up and squished the 2 itty bitty babies who came?

Dress up, slides, and bouncy houses! The room is staffed for parties, but some mommies needed to stay with their little ones (L&L is not open to the public during parties).

And to wrap it up, time for Happy Birthday and candles...

I was hoping she wouldn't cry. She just looked at us like we were crazy like she did last year.

There's that smile.

That's what daddies are for! Looks like her wish for more donuts came true.

I have a bunch more pictures of her special day and can't wait to write about all the adorable gifts she received in case you find yourself in the market for the perfect 2 year old girl present. I so appreciate all of the help I received from Kate and my mom, because without them, this working mama couldn't have put it together without losing her mind. And I love Larkyn's guests (big and small) for attending her special day. We love you, sweet girl!

3 comments:

Nana
said...

Oh Stacie, what a memorable occasion you made this for us all. The party was delightful and I can't wait to see what you come up for a theme for next year. I loved every minute of it, from listening to the plans, making the little totes and being there today. I love you for the Mommy you are...Mom

Wonderful party! Great work! I think the donut puns are a necessary evil. And the location was perfect for all the folks, kids, and our favorite 2-year-old bouncer! She had a blast. So much fun to be there with you.